Kars Fortress, 1916

This archival photograph shows the Kars Fortress in 1916. Kars lies in the part of Eastern Armenia that is now under Turkey’s control. The fortress walls with a flag are visible on the height; in the foreground are the winding fortress road and a rocky slope.

Below are the garrison bathhouse and storehouse, and in the distance the buildings of the engineers and of the fortress commander, with the protected shelter (casemate) behind them.

The author of the photograph is Colonel Georgy Zakharin, a military engineer and assistant in the construction of the Kars Fortress.